Bosch Automotive, a division of the global technology and service provider Bosch, was facing significant communication challenges in its Charleston plant. The plant, which specializes in powertrain and e-motor parts, was using two-way radios for communication. This method was inefficient as it limited associates to reaching only one person at a time. The lack of a streamlined communication system was hindering the plant's productivity and efficiency. Additionally, the plant was about to face a new product startup, which required a rapid ramp-up from setup to full-time production to customer delivery. The plant also had a performance-based pay system, but lacked a clear way to track and showcase the skills and proficiency levels of its associates.

Barry Callebaut, a global leader in high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, faced challenges in maintaining open communication and problem-solving across its 64 manufacturing plants worldwide. The company relied heavily on Gemba walks and team boards for daily operations, which allowed management and functional experts to support operators and address issues. However, tracking issues and reaching the right individual for resolution was a complex task. Additionally, the company needed to ensure that solutions found at one plant were shared across all sites for organization-wide learning. Another challenge was the need for real-time information access for effective decision-making. The company started recording team meetings and sharing them on the factory feed for improved visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, but needed a more robust solution for data-driven decision-making.

C.H. Guenther, a large food manufacturer with a history of over 150 years, faced significant operational challenges in their Pioneer Frozen Foods plant in South Carolina. The plant, which employs over 200 people and has four main production lines, relied heavily on radio and face-to-face communication among workers. The lack of technological devices on the shop floor led to limited visibility and inefficiencies, with many issues going unnoticed and unresolved. A recurring problem on one of their lines, where the product was not being correctly deposited into the packaging, was causing regular three-minute stops. These minor stops, while seemingly insignificant, added up to approximately 40 hours of lost production time over a year. Additionally, the plant faced potential downtime due to a lack of trained employees to operate a new workstation.

Plastico Dise, a manufacturer of plastic packaging products, was facing challenges in managing issues on their production lines. The company was struggling with frequent machine stops and lacked visibility into the reasons behind these stops. The issue management and resolution process was cumbersome and inefficient. When operators encountered a problem, they had to contact maintenance through internal telephones and intercoms. The maintenance team would then log the issues, download work orders to a spreadsheet, print and post the paperwork order schedules to a blackboard in the workshop. This manual process was time-consuming and left room for optimization. Additionally, quality, continuous improvement, and IT issues were reported via email, leading to communication difficulties and tracking issues. The company was operating in silos with limited visibility due to the existence of two separate issue reporting systems.

Royal Canin, a global provider of pet nutrition, faced several challenges at their Polish plant. The onboarding process for new hires was complicated and time-consuming, involving multiple departments and lacking clear organization. The leadership had no visibility into the process, making it difficult to refine and improve. Additionally, the company struggled with paper-based documentation and an unfriendly document management system. Work instructions were hard to access and difficult for associates to read. Updating instructions, especially before audits, was labor-intensive. The company also lacked data on associate progress and capabilities, hindering their ability to measure and analyze employee development. Furthermore, Royal Canin faced challenges in reporting and managing safety issues using paper forms. Analyzing data was a tedious task, as information had to be manually transferred into Excel files or other platforms before staff could extract any meaningful insights.

Bel Group, a leading French food manufacturer, faced several challenges when opening a new plant in Sorel, Quebec, to manufacture their Mini Babybel line of cheeses. The challenges included extracting internal equipment expertise, importing and installing new equipment, building factory knowledge and culture from scratch due to a lack of specialized workforce, and implementing all processes and standards at once while meeting production targets. The company also had to onboard 170 employees in a short period to support a full production schedule. They needed a solution that would facilitate their training process, enable collaboration between sites, ensure access to internal expertise from stakeholders globally, and support operational efficiency.

Bunge, a global leader in the food and agriculture industry, was facing challenges in operational efficiency, worker engagement, and communication. With over 23,000 associates, 300+ facilities, and a presence in more than 40 countries, the company needed a solution to directly connect workers with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and facilitate communication. The primary goal was to reduce unplanned downtime, streamline shift handovers, and improve the quality of inspections. The company was also looking for a way to improve the mean time between failures (MTBF), which would lead to longer intervals between major equipment breakdowns. The challenge was to find a solution that could address these issues efficiently and effectively.